Handles for instruments and tools dictate how the instrument or tool will be grasped and manipulated by a user. A simple example is a pair of scissors. A common pair of scissors includes a first handle having a generally circular opening and a second handle having an elongated opening. The circular opening is designed to receive the operator's thumb and the elongated opening is designed to receive two or more fingers. Due to the asymmetrical design, these types of scissors are not reversible and often require reorientation when grabbed.
Some instruments and tools (including scissors) do include handles that are symmetrical. For example, a common hemostat includes a pair of handles, with each handle having a generally circular opening. However, such a configuration may not be suitable for users of varying hand sizes and/or may not allow for adequate control during use.
In the field of minimally invasive surgery, such as laparoscopy, tools that perform functions such as enlarging openings, grasping organs and the like generally include handles that suffer from the above-described drawbacks. For example, common hemostats and forceps are limited in the manner they can be grasped and manipulated and may not be suitable for a range of hand sizes due to the handle design. Also, some of these instruments do not have substantially identical or symmetrical handles and require reorientation when blindly grasped by a busy surgeon. Moreover, the tools are often not only limited by the design of the handles, but also by the limited functionality of the working ends opposite the handles. For example, separate, specialized tools are generally needed to perform the operations of blunt dissection, enlarging openings and/or grasping objects.